Leslie and Sean's "Trip Full of Firsts" with Friends

[lllmtz]

As usual, I awoke early and headed to the food court for the morning bagel and coffee. Denise and I met the boys at the bus stop around 8:15, and we were soon on our way to the Animal Kingdom. Sean and I were looking forward to Expedition Everest and couldn't wait to share the experience with Josh and Denise-- several times, ideally.

We headed directly for Asia after being admitted to the park, and found there was only a 15 minute wait for Everest. The last time I had ridden this attraction, the Yeti had been fully operational-- this was back in 2007-- and I had been reading various reports about the now de-evolved "Disco-Yeti." I was hoping that we'd at least get a good look at him (or her...?), even though he/she is now motionless.

Well... Denise and Josh loved the ride (we knew they would) and although I had a great time also, I couldn't help being disappointed that I didn't see the Yeti. I did try... I knew when and where to look, but the flashing disco lights in the otherwise pitch black cavern didn't afford even a glimpse. It's probably just me... Sean said he saw him/her/it. In any case, we jumped back on for another ride, and then picked up fast passes for later. All whining aside, I do love this attraction. I think it still might be my favorite WDW ride.

After EE, we wandered into Dinoland and got in line for Primeval Whirl... a first for all of us. I'm not a big fan of the little carnival area... seems out of place in an otherwise beautiful park. Just my opinion. In any case, the four of us squished into one vehicle and we proceeded to whirl. Whee.

The Dinosaur ride was next, and it was a walk-on. I always enjoy this, despite the rough turns and overall jerky motion. It's just so much fun. Sean wanted to hit Kali River Rapids next, but the ride was temporarily closed. Ah well... On to Kilimanjaro Safari!

I must mention here that I had a mission to complete on behalf of Sean's younger sister, Rebecca (or Becca, as we call her). Becca was working on a report about okapis and had asked me to get a picture of one while we were at the Animal Kingdom. Not that you can't find hundreds of okapi photos online, but her father thought it would be cool to try to get a shot, and have Sean in the photo also. ("This is a picture of my brother, with Myron the Okapi!") Now up until a week before I left, I knew virtually nothing about okapis. I had no idea what these guys even looked like. Now however, I can safely say that I have gleaned enough information to satisfy the basics of any sixth-grade science report. Seriously. Ask me anything.

We boarded the safari ride after a short wait, and lo and behold... Okapis at three o'clock! Immediately! I whip my phone out-- Nope-- not my brand new Fujifilm camera... I have to text the photo because the report is due before we return from vacation. I position the phone and... forget to zoom in. So I have a nice picture of some indistinguishable animal in the African underbrush. Drat.

I did remember reading that okapis could be seen on the Pangani Forest Trail, and Denise agreed to accompany me. The boys, however, were itching to get back to Disney Quest that afternoon, so... no pic of Sean and "Myron the Okapi." We finished the safari ride, managed to save Little Red the baby elephant from the evil poachers, and after the harrowing journey, decided it was time to rustle up some grub. We had dinner reservations for Boma that evening, and had originally planned on counter service food for lunch. We wandered around for a few minutes, not really seeing anything that beckoned to us, and Sean made a request that we try to get into a table service restaurant. The group all thought this was a great idea, and we made our way over to Tusker House to see if anything was available. We approached the podium and before I could even speak, the cast member asked if I had a reservation. I shook my head and after being told there were no tables to be had, we made a hasty retreat.

It turns out that this was a bit of serendipity, because we ended up stumbling into Yak and Yeti and were told we could be seated in about five minutes. And oh my... what a lovely meal it was. I ordered the duck with Anandapur glaze and it was wonderful. Can't remember what Josh and Denise ordered, but Sean was excited to see that a Kobe beef burger was on the menu. I think that experience has ruined normal burgers for him, because he is still talking about how delicious it was. I had the sorbet trio for dessert, while the rest of the gang inhaled dishes of fried cream cheese wontons, pineapple, and vanilla ice cream. I declined a bite of this bit of this, although I was assured that I was making a horrible mistake.

Kali River Rapids was open by the time we finished lunch and Denise, Josh and Sean went for a ride while I browsed the shops. I am not fond of water rides that have the potential of soaking me to the skin. After Kali, the boys bailed in favor of a power nap and a return trip to Disney Quest. Denise hung back with me and we took to the Pangani Forest Trail in search of the okapis.

Turns out my luck was a little better on the trail, as Denise and I immediately spied two okapis having their lunch. At one point, one okapi sauntered up behind his buddy and I frantically began snapping photos as quickly as I could, not paying too much attention to what the animals were actually doing-- just trying to get some good shots of them. One picture was better than the rest, in terms of composition and clarity.

Unfortunately, this stellar photograph depicts one okapi with his nose firmly planted between his companion's hindquarters. Guess which picture didn't make the final cut?

After this brief interlude with "exotic photography," Denise and I each grabbed a hot cup of tea from the Royal Anandapur Tea cart, and I had my first taste of Vanilla Rooibos. It's now my official favorite hot tea. Flights of Wonder was starting in a few minutes, and after making sure it was okay to bring our drinks into the theater, we settled in to enjoy the show, which turned out to be a lot of fun. For some reason, I found myself getting a little misty-eyed when they brought out an American Bald Eagle toward the end of the presentation. I don't think I'd ever seen one in person before.

When Flights of Wonder was over, we had about four or five hours to kill before our dinner reservation at Boma. I asked Denise if she might be interested in checking out the Boardwalk resort, and she was agreeable to the idea. We caught a Boardwalk bus, and after being dropped off, we spent some time exploring the resort and checking out the gift shop. Since it was still a bit early, there really wasn't much going on in the way of Boardwalk entertainment, and I was a tiny bit bummed. It was actually eerily quiet. I had visions of magicians, jugglers and fire-eaters wandering around, so I think it would be a good idea to return some other time at night, when the place is hopping.

We picked up a boat to Hollywood Studios, and spent some time wandering in the shops. Here, I picked up a stuffed "Agent P," for Rebecca, who is a huge Phineas and Ferb fan. We took in the Muppets presentation, which I always enjoy-- even though I was disappointed that we missed the pre-show. After Muppets, we noticed that there was a 10 minute wait for Star Tours and got in line. To our delight, Denise was tagged as the rebel spy for this trip.

We wrapped up Hollywood Studios with some more window shopping, and then hopped on the bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I had been hearing so many positive things about this resort and about Boma, and I was really looking forward to checking the place out. While on the bus, I was exchanging text messages with Sean, and learned that he and Josh were still in Downtown Disney, waiting for an AKL bus.

Denise and I spent some time wandering around, and then took a couple of chairs in the lobby while we waited for the boys. I have to say that the Animal Kingdom Lodge is really, really beautiful. I won't go into detail about the layout and decor, since so many others have written about it before me (and probably with more finesse than I could muster). I'll just remark that I found it breathtaking and would stay here in a heartbeat.

Sean and Josh were running late, and we barely made it in time for our dinner reservation. Boma was very crowded and quite loud, but the food was amazing. Again-- others more eloquent than I have described the exotic offerings at this restaurant, so all I will say here is, if you haven't been to Boma and are planning a trip to WDW, make time for Boma. Yes, it is a buffet, but the food is fresh and interesting and oh... so utterly delicious. I was trying to take tiny portions so that I could try everything I was unfamiliar with still couldn't sample it all. I will be back.

After dinner, we picked up a Magic Kingdom bus, and then transferred to the POFQ. I was dragging, and more than ready to hit the sack.

Next installment: Islands of Adventure, Butter Beer, and the Ride to End All Rides.

[nursechrissy32]

LOVING your trip report...got some goose bumps as you explained your first day there!! thank you so much for sharing!!!

[betsyrina]

I can't wait to hear more...

[lllmtz]

Day Five, Sunday, Jan. 15th

A couple of weeks before leaving for our vacation, I had purchased tickets for Universal Orlando. Although Undercover Tourist had the best prices, I wanted the instant gratification of being able to print the tickets at home. We knew that we wanted to visit both parks, but were unsure whether or not we could manage all of the "must-sees" in one day. After a minimal amount of deliberation, I purchased the 2-day 2-park tickets, which were only $15.00 more (per ticket) than the one-day 2-park passes. Still, with tax, the total for all four passes came to $504.00 and some change. Ouch.

Thus prepared, we called for a taxi to pick us up at 8:15 AM so that we could arrive at the Islands of Adventure turnstiles before the park opened. The ride was only a little over twenty minutes long and the fare came to about $40.00, including tip. We were dropped off at the Universal Resort entrance and made the looooonnng walk to the Islands of Adventure gate. We had our passes scanned and IDs viewed (thank goodness we had brought our IDs with us). We were admitted without too much hassle and made our way through the Port of Entry, which I guess is Universal's answer to Main Street USA. Naturally, we were hurrying toward the Wizarding World of Harry Potter so I didn't have an immediate opportunity to fully take in my surroundings.

By the time we reached the Wizarding World, there was a 20 minute wait to ride the Forbidden Journey. We happily jumped in line and wound our way through catacombs, the greenhouse, and Dumbledore's office. Wow! Really. What an amazing job Universal has done with this attraction. Now mind you-- I have seen the Harry Potter movies, but have never read the books. I'm not a rabid Potter fan, but I have a healthy appreciation for the story line. My mind was blown away with the technology and attention to detail. It really felt as though I had been transported to another world.

So we have it established that I am not the biggest Harry Potter fan. However, Sean, Josh and Denise have all read the books and among the three of them, you could ask any HP trivia question and probably get the right answer. So if I'm impressed, I can only imagine how they must have felt.

We eventually made it to the loading area and were harnessed into our ride vehicle. What an absolutely amazing experience this was! The combination of motion simulation, actual movement of the vehicle from room to room, the sound effects, the visuals.... It was incredible. I couldn't believe what was happening. We would have gladly immediately done this again, but by the time we exited, the wait was over two hours long.

We turned our attention to the Dragon Challenge coasters (formerly Dueling Dragons) and went for a ride on each of the trains. Both were smooth and exhilarating. When that was over, we all agreed that it was time to take in the sights and sounds of Hogsmeade. We explored the shops, Denise made a restroom visit and when she emerged, she told us that she could hear Moaning Myrtle wailing among the stalls. For those of you who don't know who Moaning Myrtle is... well-- ya gotta see the movies or read the books, I guess.

The line at the Butter Beer cart was a little long, but looked tolerable. Here, we had the option of either a cold Butterbeer or a frozen one. Sean, Denise and Josh all opted for the frozen while I decided on the cold one. It was actually quite refreshing, if a bit on the sweet side. As far as I could tell, it tasted like cream soda with a hint of butterscotch flavor. This was topped with a healthy dollop of cream that reminded me of vanilla soft-serve. We sipped our drinks and wandered though the streets, admiring the architecture and popping into the shops. Josh and Sean had been yearning to try a chocolate frog and we found them in Honeyduke's Sweet Shop. Now this frog is maybe three inches in diameter. Maybe. It comes in a pretty purple box, made of cardboard. And it costs $15.00.

I'll wait while you process that. Take your time.

Oh, we were outraged. Indignant. Royally ticked off. And then we purchased two of them.

Actually, Josh and Sean each bought one for themselves. Denise and I were too busy waxing our frugality to even consider it. We browsed the rest of the shops, where Josh purchased a Gryffindor scarf for his sister. I had heard somewhere that Universal will knock 10% off your purchases everywhere if you flash your AAA card. Unfortunately, that didn't occur to me until after Josh had already made the purchase. Ah well...

We had a noon lunch reservation for Mythos, which had evidently received consecutive awards for "Best Theme Park Restaurant." However, the boys were really wanting to prolong the Harry Potter experience and requested that we dine at the Three Broomsticks. Three Broomsticks it was. Denise and I each ordered the chicken and ribs platter, Josh had the turkey leg and Sean decided on the Shepherd's Pie. This was a counter service place and very crowded, but we were able to find a table outside. The food was all very delicious and fresh. I'd eat there again in a heartbeat.

When lunch was over, we held a brief meeting to discuss our options for the rest of the day. We had barely put a dent in our touring plans for the day and it seemed doubtful that we would be able to manage even just the major attractions in both parks. So the question arose: Were we going to take advantage of the second day in the Universal parks, and shell out another $80.00 for round trip cab fare? If so, then we would have to give something else up, just to balance the budget. We had afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian scheduled for the next day, and believe it or not, the boys were looking forward to it more than Denise and I were. Matter of fact, my original plan had Denise and I doing the tea by ourselves while the guys went out to do... guy things. But when I had mentioned it to Sean and Josh before the trip, both were crestfallen and asked if Denise and I would consider having them along for tea. Isn't that cute?

So anyway-- Tea the next day? Or a second day at Universal? We let the boys decide. They immediately voted for the second day at Universal. We agreed, and then Denise told us that she had a proposal: She would treat all of us to the tea the next day (Monday), if we wanted to wait until our last vacation day (Tuesday) to return to Universal. The boys were so excited. Again-- totally cute. At that point, I told Denise that since she was taking care of the tea (I had budgeted to pay for Sean, Josh and myself), I would cover the cab fare back to Universal both ways on Tuesday. We graciously thanked one another for our respective generosity and Denise did a fist pump saying, "Now we can do it all!

We headed over to Jurassic Park to take in the River Adventure. Denise and I had experienced this attraction in California back in 1998 or 99, but it was a first for the guys. I was a little nervous about this one. As I mentioned earlier, I am not a fan of soaking wet water rides. But I took a deep breath and got in line with the rest of the gang. The ride was really quite fun and although I got wet, I wasn't soaked to the skin. We decided to follow the path toward Marvel Super Hero Island, and made a stop in Toon Lagoon. Sean had been looking forward to riding Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges and he rallied the group to join him. Josh was up for it and Denise was also willing. I, however, decided to sit this one out. This is a whitewater raft experience and I had heard that you get buckets of water dumped on you. No thanks! I explored Toon Lagoon while waiting for my comrades to return.

And return they did. Dripping water by the ounce, their hair plastered to their faces and their clothes looking like they had gone swimming in them. I smugly congratulated myself for passing on the experience. The boys were laughing, and Denise was also... although she looked mighty uncomfortable. We went into the restroom to try to dry her clothes off-- she hid out in one of the stalls and gave me her jeans so that I could try airing them out under the hot hand dryer. I tried... spent about fifteen minutes at it, getting some funny looks from the ladies who had hoped to use the machine to dry their hands. Sorry gals... I have a half-naked friend shivering just behind that door and I can't let her down. I stood my ground and continued my misuse of the hand dryer.

Eventually I gave up, realizing that it would take hours to get a pair of jeans dry this way. I handed them back over the stall door to Denise with a heartfelt apology, cringing at the thought of her having to put those wet pants back on. Poor girl-- she really was miserable. We left Toon Lagoon and headed to Marvel Super Hero Island to ride the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. This is now my second-favorite ride at Universal. It was so well done and we would have had a blast if it weren't for some woman unrelentingly screaming behind us. After Spidey, the boys left to ride the Hulk coaster and Denise and I went in search of the famed "people dryers." These things are about the size of a small fitting room and are equipped with jets that force powerful blasts of air upon one's body. You have to pay $5.00 for this service, but Denise and I thought it was worth a try. Long story short... it helped, but it didn't dry her to the point of being completely comfortable.

By this time, the boys were done with the Hulk and ready to leave the park. We made our way to the exit, picked up a cab, and were soon back at the resort.

Next time: Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours, Kona Cafe, and someone becomes "under the weather."

[mxrapu]

I'm really enjoying your report, Leslie. It gives me hope that I'll still be having fun at Disney with my kids many years from now.

In case you ever go back to IOA, the regular chocolate frogs are $10. The "Deluxe Edition" frogs, where you are guaranteed a Dumbledore card, are $15. Still too much, but a little easier to take, especially with a AAA discount. Luckily, my kids were happy with a regular frog.

I'm with you on the Bilge Rat ride. I went on it once, years ago, when the park first opened. I got as wet as your friend. Never again!

[TinaMouse]

Wait....what happened? That's the end? NOOOOO....Leslie, keep writing. I'm enjoying this one SO much!!!!

[lllmtz]

I am so, so sorry! Shame on me for dropping the ball like that! I will return in a few days and finish the story, I promise! (Thanks for the much-needed nudge, Tina!)

[TinaMouse]

yay!

[DisneyDaisie]

love your trip report so far. hope you get to post the end soon!